A top Palo Alto school administrator and former Duveneck Elementary School principal has announced she is leaving to take a a position with a Virginia public school district that is nearly twice as large as Palo Alto.
Kathleen Meagher, Palo Alto's director of elementary education since 2010, will become director of secondary education for the Arlington Public Schools outside of Washington, D.C.. Enrollment in Arlington, which runs from pre-K to 12, is 23,316, compared to Palo Alto's 12,483.
Meagher served as Duveneck principal from 2007 to 2010. She joined the Palo Alto district in 1995 as a teacher at Fairmeadow Elementary School and left the district briefly -- from 2004 to 2007 -- to be assistant principal of Los Altos High School.
"I have learned a great deal alongside tremendously talented people dedicated to providing the highest quality educational experience possible for our students," Meagher said in a statement. "My work here has enabled me to grow as an educator and a leader."
Superintendent Kevin Skelly said, "Ms. Meagher has provided wonderful leadership to our elementary schools and principals and has also provided innovative leadership for many instructional initiatives during her four years as director of elementary education. Her efforts on behalf of students and staff will be felt for years to come. We wish her all the best in her new position."
